Computer-aided design (CAD) systems are available for a variety of applications. CAD applications can include those that help consumers custom-design or custom-specify certain products. For example: home improvement retailers may provide online systems that can help a customer estimate the sizes of various components required for a home improvement project; automobile manufacturers may provide vehicle configuration tools that help a customer select various options of a desired vehicle; and furniture configuration software exists in which consumers can place icons corresponding to furniture in a room space to see how various items of furniture will fit and lay out in a room.
A problem with existing product configuration systems is that they do not fully provide users with CAD functionality. Instead, they are limited to enabling a user to select from various specific configurations and/or features that are available in an inventory, and thus do not facilitate truly custom design. In addition, existing product configuration systems are stand-alone systems that require either: (a) the retailer to implement significant technical integration and website modifications to offer the configurator to users in a seamless user experience; or (b) the user to exit the retailer's website or other software application and access an entirely different system to use the configuration system.
This document describes methods and systems that address technical issues including but not limited to those described above.